A writer for New York Magazine claimed the Islamic terrorist group ISIS “appreciates” the National Rifle Association’s work, prompting a Medal of Honor recipient to issue an epic takedown of the liberal publication’s argument.
In an article titled “ISIS Appreciated the NRA’s Work,” published on New York Magazine’s website on Friday evening, Eric Levitz claimed ISIS “appreciates” the NRA’s stance on background checks at gun shows and suggested gun shows are a significant security threat because terrorists can use them to buy weapons to use against innocent American citizens.
The NRA opposes laws that would require people purchasing firearms at gun shows to be subjected to a background check.
“The NRA likes the ‘gun-show loophole’ because the organization is funded by firearms manufacturers who would like to continue making money selling weapons to criminals. … It isn’t too hard to guess why ISIS also approves of America’s lax gun regulations. But there’s no need for guessing,” wrote Levitz, who then cited a few examples of Islamic terrorists instructing jihadists to take advantage of America’s gun laws.
“The acquisition of firearms can be very simple depending on one’s geographical location,” wrote one radical Islamacist in the ISIS publication Rumiyah, which Levitz cited in his article. “In most U.S. states, anything from a single-shot shotgun all the way up to a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle can be purchased at showrooms or through online sales—by way of private dealers—with no background checks, and without requiring either an ID or a gun license.”
Levitz also cites an ISIS recruit who told the New York Times in 2016, “They say we can radicalize easily, and if they have no prior record, they can buy guns, so we don’t need to have a contact man who has to provide guns for them.”
It is particularly ironic Levitz uses this as proof of the NRA’s allegedly dangerous views, since a person with no record wouldn’t be rejected by a background check anyway, defeating Levitz’s entire argument.
On Sunday, Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer appeared on the Fox News Channel to discuss the controversial New York Magazine article.
“Well, first off, I mean, how much lower can a journalist fall to be taking, using ISIS as their credible source, right?” Meyer said. “I think it’s ridiculous. Once again, the media is going out and they’re using their First Amendment to try to go after the Second Amendment, by not looking at the facts.”
“Here’s the facts of the whole thing of it,” Meyer said. “Right, you look at San Bernardino. Right? In California out there, they have … restricted AR-15s. You got have a background check on every single weapon. You have to register all your weapons out there. You have a waiting period—all these things they want to implement even more. And what’s the shooting caused by? An AR-15 with high-capacity magazines. It doesn’t seem like it worked in that situation.”
Meyer said, contrary to Levitz’s claims, “the thing that stands in the way” of terrorism is the Second Amendment.
“The article should read … the thing that stands in the way of ISIS being able to come over … and do terroristic acts is the NRA standing there protecting our rights to be able to bear arms and stand up for ourselves.”
Justin Haskins
